Method and system for distributing master file

Abstract

A center master file group 29 is unitarily administered and kept updated to be the latest data, and a master distributing-side program 21 provides information that updating has taken place to a user terminal 10 receiving the service whenever a master file in the center master file group 29 is updated, distributes data of the updated master file to the user terminal 10 upon a request from the user in need of that master file, and registers the information in a user management file 28 to automatically charge a service rate for the distribution, wherein the user terminal 10 updates its master file group 19 with the data of the updated master file distributed by the master distributing-side program 21.

What is to be claimed:  
     
         1 . A system for distributing a master file in a network system where a group of user terminals that mutually exchange data based on master files and a master administration center for unitarily administering a group of master files used by the user terminals are connected, the system comprising: 
 a group of center master files at the master administration center which are kept updated to be the latest master file group;    a user management file at the master administration center for managing information related to the users receiving the master file distribution service;    a master distributing-side program at the master administration center for providing information that the master files are updated to the users receiving the distribution service whenever a master file in the center master file group is updated, for distributing data of the updated master file to the user terminal in need of the updated master file upon a request from the user, and for registering information in the user management file to automatically charge a service rate for the distribution; and    the user terminal which updates its master file group with the data of the updated master file distributed by the master distributing-side program.    
     
     
         2 . A master file distributing system according to  claim 1 , wherein the user terminal has a program which checks, upon data exchange among the user terminals, whether any of the master files in its master file group is old, and announces a warning when it detects an old master file.  
     
     
         3 . A master file distributing system according to  claim 1 , wherein, for distributing data of the updated master file, the data is compressed at and sent from the master administration center to the user terminal where the compressed data is expanded.  
     
     
         4 . A system for distributing a master file in a network system where a group of user terminals that mutually exchange data based on master files and a master administration center for unitarily administering a group of master files used by the user terminals are connected, the system comprising: 
 a group of center master files at the master administration center which are kept updated to be the latest master file group;    a user management file at the master administration center for managing information related to the users receiving the master file distribution service;    a user's registration controlling means at the master administration center for registering subscriber's registration information in the user management file based on an application for a subscriber's registration from the user terminal and for distributing a master distributed-side program to the user terminal to be installed in the user terminal;    an updating information providing means at the master administration center for providing information that the master files are updated to the user receiving the service whenever a master file in the center master file group is updated;    a master distributed-side program at the user terminal, which is activated in response to an updating request from the user who judges based on the information given by the updating information providing means, which acquires versions of all of the master files in the master file group of the user terminal, which notifies the master administration center the version information, which updates the master file group of the user terminal by expanding compressed file data sent from the master administration center in response to the notice, and which sends an updating complete notice to the master administration center as soon as the updating is complete; and    a master file distribution controlling means at the master administration center, which extracts a master file in the center master file group whose version mismatches with that of the corresponding master file in the master file group of the user terminal based on the version information sent from the user terminal, which sends compressed file data of the extracted master file to the user terminal, and which registers distribution information and charge information in the user management file based on the updating complete notice from the user terminal.    
     
     
         5 . A system for distributing a master file in a network system where a group of user terminals that mutually exchange data based on master files and a master administration center for unitarily administering a group of master files used by the user terminals are connected, the system comprising: 
 a group of center master files at the master administration center which are kept updated to be the latest master file group;    a user management file at the master administration center for managing information related to the users receiving the master file distribution service;    a user's registration controlling means at the master administration center for registering subscriber's registration information in the user management file based on an application for a subscriber's registration from the user terminal and for distributing a master distributed-side program and a version mismatch checking program to the user terminal to be installed in the user terminal;    an updating information providing means at the master administration center for providing information that the master files are updated to the user receiving the service whenever a master file in the center master file group is updated;    the version mismatch checking program at the user terminal which, upon data exchange with other user terminal, raises an alarm when it detects any master file of an old version in its master file group;    a master distributed-side program at the user terminal, which is activated in response to an updating request from the user who judges based on the information given by the updating information providing means and the alarm raised by the version mismatch checking program, which acquires versions of all of the master files in the master file group of the user terminal, which notifies the master administration center the version information, which updates the master file group of the user terminal by expanding compressed file data sent from the master administration center in response to the notice, and which sends an updating complete notice to the master administration center as soon as the updating is complete; and    a master file distribution controlling means at the master administration center, which extracts a master file in the center master file group whose version mismatches with that of the corresponding master file in the master file group of the user terminal based on the version information sent from the user terminal, which sends compressed file data of the extracted master file to the user terminal, and which registers distribution information and charge information in the user management file based on the updating complete notice from the user terminal.    
     
     
         6 . A system for distributing a master file according to  claim 4 , wherein the updating information is provided to the user terminal by means of an electronic mail sent by the updating information providing means of the master administration center and by means of a homepage.  
     
     
         7 . A method for distributing a master file in a network system where a group of user terminals that mutually exchange data based on master files and a master administration center for unitarily administering a group of master files used by the user terminals are connected, the method comprising: 
 a first step where subscriber's registration information of a user is registered in a user management file of the master administration center based on an application for receiving the master file distribution service from the user terminal, an a master distributed-side program is distributed to and installed into the user terminal;    a second step where the master administration center provides information that updating has taken place to the user receiving the service whenever a master file in a center master file group is updated;    a third step where the master distributed-side program installed in the user terminal in the first step is activated in response to an updating request from the user who judges based on the information provided in the second step;    a fourth step where the master distributed-side program activated in the third step is controlled to acquire versions of all of the master files in the master file group of the user terminal and to send the version information to the master administration center;    a fifth step where a master file the center master file group whose version mismatches with that of the corresponding master file in the master file group of the user terminal is extracted based on the version information sent from the user terminal to the master administration center, and compressed file data of the extracted master file is sent from the master administration center to the user terminal;    a sixth step where the master file group of the user terminal is updated with the expanded data of the compressed file data sent from the master administration center in the fifth step, and an updating complete notice is sent from the user terminal to the master administration center upon completion of the updating: and 
 a seventh step where distribution information and charge information are registered in the user management file of the master administration center based on the updating complete notice from the user terminal in the sixth step.  
   
     
     
         8 . A method for distributing a master file in a network system where a group of user terminals that mutually exchange data based on master files and a master administration center for unitarily administering a group of master files used by the user terminals are connected, the method comprising: 
 a first step where subscriber's registration information of a user is registered in a user management file of the master administration center based on an application for receiving the master file distribution service from the user terminal, and a master distributed-side program and a version mismatch checking program are distributed to and installed into the user terminal;    a second step where the master administration center provides information that updating has taken place to the user receiving the service whenever a master file in a center master file group is updated;    a third step where the master distributed-side program installed in the user terminal in the first step is activated in response to an updating request from the user who judges based on the information provided in the second step and an alarm in the eighth step;    a fourth step where the master distributed-side program activated in the third step is controlled to acquire versions of all of the master files in the master file group of the user terminal and to send the version information to the master administration center;    a fifth step where a master file in the center master file group whose version mismatches with that of the corresponding master file in the master file group of the user terminal is extracted based on the version information sent from the user terminal to the master administration center, and compressed file data of the extracted master file is sent from the master administration center to the user terminal;    a sixth step where the master file group of the user terminal is updated with the expanded data of the compressed file data sent from the master administration center in the fifth step, and an updating complete notice is sent from the user terminal to the master administration center upon completion of the updating: 
 a seventh step where distribution information and charge information are registered in the user management file of the master administration center based on the updating complete notice from the user terminal in the sixth step; and  
 an eighth step where the version mismatch checking program installed in the first step is activated on the user terminal to raise an alarm when it detects any master file of an old version in its master file group upon data exchange with other user terminal.  
   
     
     
         9 . A method for distributing a master file according to  claim 7 , wherein, in the second step, the updating information is provided by the master administration center to the user terminal by means of an electronic mail and by means of a homepage.  
     
     
         10 . A storage medium used in a network system where a group of user terminals that mutually exchange data based on master files and a master administration center for unitarily administering a group of master files used by the user terminals are connected, the system comprising: a group of center master files at the master administration center which are kept updated to be the latest master file group; and a user management file at the master administration center for managing information related to the users receiving the master file distribution service, 
 wherein, the storage medium stores a master distributing-side program for controlling the master administration center to function as: 
 a user's registration controlling means for registering subscriber's registration information of a user in the user management file based on an application for receiving the master file distribution service from the user terminal, and for distributing a master distributed-side program to be installed in the user terminal, the master distributed-side program being activated in response to an updating request from the user who judges based on the information given by an updating information providing means, acquiring versions of all of the master files in the master file group of the user terminal, sending the version information to the master administration center, updating the master file group of the user terminal by expanding compressed file data from the master administration center sent in response to the notice, and sending an updating complete notice to the master administration center as soon as the updating is complete;  
 the updating information providing means for providing information that updating has taken place to the user receiving the service whenever a master file in the center master file group is updated; and  
 a master file distribution controlling means for extracting a master file in the center master file group whose version mismatches with that of the corresponding master file in the master file group of the user terminal based on the version information sent from the user terminal, for sending compressed file data of the extracted master file to the user terminal, and for registering distribution information and charge information in the user management file based on the updating complete notice from the user terminal.  
   
     
     
         11 . A storage medium used in a network system where a group of user terminals that mutually exchange data based on master files and a master administration center for unitarily administering a group of master files used by the user terminals are connected, the system comprising: a group of center master files at the master administration center which are kept updated to be the latest master file group; and a user management file at the master administration center for managing information related to the users receiving the master file distribution service, 
 wherein, the storage medium stores a master distributioning-side program for controlling the master administration center to function as: 
 a user's registration controlling means for registering subscriber's registration information of a user in the user management file based on an application for receiving the master file distribution service from the user terminal, and for distributing a master distributed-side program and a version mismatch checking program to be installed in the user terminal, the master distributed-side program being activated in response to an updating request from the user who judges based on the information given by an updating information providing means and the alarm by a version mismatch checking program, acquiring versions of all of the master files in the master file group of the user terminal, sending the version information to the master administration center, updating the master file group of the user terminal by expanding compressed file data from the master administration center sent in response to the notice, and sending an updating complete notice to the master administration center as soon as the updating is complete, while the version mismatch checking program raising an alarm when it detects any master file of an old version in the master file group of its user terminal upon data exchange with other user terminal;  
 the updating information providing means for providing information that updating has taken place to the user receiving the service whenever a master file in the center master file group is updated; and  
 a master file distribution controlling means for extracting a master file in the center master file group whose version mismatches with that of the corresponding master file in the master file group of the user terminal based on the version information sent from the user terminal, for sending compressed file data of the extracted master file to the user terminal, and for registering distribution information and charge information in the user management file based on the updating complete notice from the user terminal.  
   
     
     
         12 . A system for distributing a master file according to  claim 4 , wherein, for distributing data of an updated master file, the data is sent to the user terminal without being compressed at the master administration center so that the data is not expanded at the user terminal.  
     
     
         13 . A method for distributing a master file according to  claim 7 , wherein, for distributing data of an updated master file, the data is sent to the user terminal without being compressed at the master administration center so that the data is not expanded at the user terminal.  
     
     
         14 . A storage medium according to  claim 10 , wherein for distributing data of an updated master file by the master distributing-side program stored in the storage medium, the data is sent to the user terminal without being compressed at the master administration center so that the data is not expanded at the user terminal